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“Could be, sir.” Riker kept his eyes straight ahead and his back ramrod straight. He was doing his best not to let this dumb, racist asshole rile him up. Maybe this was the ploy…get him pissed off enough to react. Then Riker would have anassault on a guardcharge brought up on him, and they’d slam Riker’s ass right into the hole. New charges would be levied, and any chance of release gone right out the window.
“So, you’re the fucker who beat the drug wrap, huh? I hear that’s caused lots of unhappy faces in max.”
“Yes sir.” Riker replied as his fists clenched at his sides.Do your own time. Get out. Get home.
“Well, maybe you think you beat it this time, Devlin, but you never know, do ya? You still got time enough to fuck this up. In this place, anything can happen. If I had my way, none of you ass wipes would ever see the light of day again. I’d drop you in a hole right where you fucking belong. Do the world a favor because your all nothing but pieces of shit, and misfit fuck ups.”
Riker spent the rest of the walk, not worrying any more about where they were going, but thinking instead of the many methods that he and his bunch ofmisfit fuckupswere going to use to make this ignorant race-hating pig of a man scream for mercy while shitting his own pants.
Fat Freddy kept up his incendiary rant through a couple of checkpoints, up two flights of stairs and down a long hallway. Finally, Riker noted with both relief and apprehension that they were standing in front of the warden’s office.
The guard pressed down hard on intercom button. It seemed a long time before they were buzzed in. In that time, Riker tried to tell himself that everything was going to be just fine, that in just a few days he’d be on the open road heading back to his brothers and his wife.
This was Riker’s second time seeing the warden. The first time was when he was showing a contingency of politicians around the prison. He had reminded Riker of an ostrich with a large hooked nose, a round torso and long, stick-thin legs.
Warden Prentiss’s office was large and modern. The left wall contained a series of floor to ceiling thick, double- pane glass windows that overlooked the prison yard. The paneled area behind his desk was filled with custom framed degrees and certificates of various accomplishments. In the corner of the room stood an ornamental American Flag complete with gold fringed edges, the kind you might see in a V.F.W. or American Legion Hall.
The warden’s desk was clean and neat. On top of its polished surface sat a large old- school blotter calendar and an escribed pen holder. He nodded to the seat in front of the desk. The guard moved to the side of Riker and stood with his back against the door.
Warden Prentiss thumbed through a file on his desk. “Please, sit down.”
Riker noted the civility with surprise.
The warden pulled out a file from the neat stack on the side of his desk, he opened it, and read it without looking up.
“You were brought up on an interstate trafficking charge with five kilos of heroin in your possession. Bail was denied, and you were brought here to await trial.”
“Yes sir.”
“Recently the evidence in your case has disappeared from the evidence locker.”
“That’s what I’ve been told, sir.” Riker fought to keep his voice steady.
“Paper work is all filed. I see here that you were due to be released on Thursday.”
Were?Riker felt his heart stop in his chest as he saw the chance at freedom slip through his fingers.
“Yes, sir. I expect to be released on Thursday.” Riker responded as if saying it would make it come true.
The warden took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. It seemed to Riker that the pause was hours long instead of seconds.
“This just came in. As you can see it is signed by the governor.” Prentiss pushed an official looking document across the desk.
Riker looked at the heading on the stark white paper. There was the governor’s seal on it.
“What is it?”
The warden nodded to the paper and said not unkindly. “Read it, son.”
Riker scanned the document, then read it again more slowly.
Riker looked up in confusion. “I’m still not sure that I understand, sir.”
Warden Prentiss steepled his fingers and looked at Riker. “We’re releasing you today.”
“Why?” He knew that he should just shut up and get the fuck out of there. He was getting out early, what the hell did he care why? But Riker got the sense that something bad was happening and he needed to know what that bad was.
Warden Prentiss simply said, “I’m sorry.”
